Gene Bilbrew

Eugene "Gene" Bilbrew (1923–1974) was an American cartoonist and fetish artist working mainly in the genres of femdom and bondage. In addition to signing his work with his own name, he drew under a range of pseudonyms, including Eneg ("Gene" spelled backwards), Van Rod, and Bondy.

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He began his career at the Los Angeles Sentinel, an African American newspaper, where he illustrated the comic strip series The Bronze Bomber — coauthored by Bill Alexander. He also wrote the series Hercules in Health Magazine.

Around 1950 Bilbrew became an assistant to the hugely influential comics artist Will Eisner, on The Spirit, where Bilbrew took over the back-up series Clifford — a little-kid humor page — after its originator Jules Feiffer was drafted into the army.

Bilbrew's notability came later when he turned to creating fetish art. He met Eric Stanton, who suggested he start working for publisher Irving Klaw, editor of many books and comics on bondage. At Klaw's Movie Star News (and Nutrix publishing division), Bilbrew made his debut in this genre in 1951, and went on to create characters like Princess Elaine and Madame la Bondage. Prison for Women and Ladies in Rubber are typical titles that he illustrated using the pseudonym Eneg.

He also did many cover illustrations for Exotique magazine between 1956 and 1959 and worked for Bizarre Life, Ultra, Masque, and Connoisseur. During this time he also illustrated High Heels In The Heavens - A Science Fiction Bondage Thriller (1955), a 44-page novelette from Black Slipper Publications.

In the 1960s and '70s, he illustrated scores of fetish magazines and paperback novels such as Spanking Fantasy and Spankers Diary for Diana Press and Bound, Trial by Bondage, Bondage Honeymoon, and Bondage Syndicate for Satellite.

Below is a list of some of the novels he worked on published by Torturra Press Ltd.

Bondage with Passion by Boyd Parnell

Bondage Rebellion by Kevin Kanen (Femdom)

Buccaneer's Bondage by Amboy Troutt

Devil's Chamber by Duncan Lamour

House of Slaves by Betts Opmir

Jail Bait Bondage by Hap Delco

Jet Bondage by Pierre Lacorde (Femdom)

Nympho Bondage by Bert Ville

Queen of the Lashed by Delvin Dorot (Femdom)

Stalag 14 Bondage by Bull Whipper

Trans Bondage by Toll Bridges

Whip of Vengeance by Frank Onelast (Femdom)

An example from his Maid in France series is also at the Chicago Spanking Review site.

In the 1970s, Bélier Press, a New York publisher of vintage erotica, reprinted many of Bilbrew's comic serials (done under the alias Eneg) in its 24 volume Bizarre Comix series. These books are still available from Bélier.

His 1953 Sorority Girls series which originally sold through Irving Klaw's mail-order house, was reprinted in Bizarre Comix Vol. 20 (1984), ISBN 0914646435. (See artwork at the Chicago Spanking Review.)